


Our Reflections

by cherrytruck



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Implied Relationships, M/M, but still show if a lot of people love each other the world would be a better place to live, dads who aren't good at being dads, they also keep making ironic statements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 15:44:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9827114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrytruck/pseuds/cherrytruck
Summary: Sherry and Jake watch recordings of a video diary that Birkin kept during his years in Umbrella. As the two take a trip into the past, they are surprised to see that even their bonds and friendship had existed within their absent fathers.





	

There was a knock on the door. When Sherry answered the door, it was Jake who greeted her.

“Oh! Hello there, Jake.”

“Hey, Sherry...” Jake’s eyes shifted to the side. He may have had a rough exterior but his face continued to look shy around her. “Um…is this a good time? I have something your pal Chris wanted me to share with you.”

“Sure. Come inside,” she said quite comfortably, welcoming the man into the hotel room she had booked to stay in for the time being. “Must be important, though I’m not sure why Chris couldn’t just share it with me if that’s the case.”

Jake then held up a storage device. “It’s because he wanted me to deliver this in person. He said he found it while digging through some of…Wesker’s,” he almost stuttered, “…files. He didn’t tell me much, other than the fact that it had something to do with your dad.” He then took Sherry’s hand and placed the small device in her palm.

“He didn’t say anything else? And you didn’t look at it for yourself?”

“Well, I figure if he didn’t tell me and he didn’t just email you the files then it’s gotta be some kind of top secret thing involving you, so figured I should keep my nose out of it. For your sake.” Jake looked away again. “So um…I’ll take off, if you want.”

“No, please.” Sherry found herself grabbing Jake’s arm, like some kind of reflex. “I-if it’s about my father, I would…well, I don’t know. It might be a bit, maybe…uh.” Realizing she was gripping on tighter as she kept speaking, she let go of Jake, who she could have sworn was starting to look more pink than when he had first come through the door.

How was she supposed to say this? Of course she wanted to look and see what was so important about her father that Chris felt it necessary for her to look, but even if it had been years ago, it still hurt to think of what had happened to her family thanks to her father’s research. She hadn’t made it out alone. She didn’t want to be alone now.

“Jake…it’s embarrassing to admit, but it’s still difficult for me to think about what my father did. I know what kind of person he was. But even so…”

“I understand.” Jake nodded. “I just hope you’re all right that I’m the one who’s digging into your business.”

“If Chris let you be the messenger, it can’t be all that secretive.” Sherry smiled and made her way to the couch where she had left her laptop. She put in the disc and opened up the single file contained inside, labelled with only her father’s name. It was a video feed, and it appeared to be quite a long one.

Jake sat next to her, making the couch bounce a little. She felt his thigh resting against hers, though she didn’t mind. Whatever digital information was under her father’s name was what made her feel uncomfortable. She took a deep sigh, and opened the video.

~

_“Happy birthday, Sherry.” The man in the labcoat adjusted the camera again before it focussed on his face. It was the unmistakable face of William Birkin, and it looked as if he was in some kind of lab. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it this year. Things are so busy at work. But I want you to know I love you very much. So you’re one already…wow, a year sure flies by quickly.” He chuckled at himself, his hair swaying around his forehead._

_He then picked up some sort of test tube from the side. “I’m sure you’re too young to worry or care, but this is what daddy’s working on. It’s a medicine I’m creating to help people out. That’s right, your daddy’s a doctor!” He didn’t go on to explain what the substance inside the tube was._

_“Don’t worry, I’ll get you something else for your birthday in the meantime. Just remember that daddy hasn’t forgotten about you. I’m always thinking of you, and I love you very dearly.”_

~

Sherry had to pause the video for a moment. So that’s why Chris wanted her to see this. He must have realized this was something personal only for her eyes. “Dad…”

“You all right?” Jake looked at her with genuine concern. Sherry looked back and nodded.

“Yes, I’m fine. It’s just…I never saw my dad very much, but when I did, I remember those were the happiest moments of my life.” Remembering those moments gave her a sense of warmth inside. “But didn’t you say this was found in Wesker’s files? Why did he have this video?”

“I don’t know. But seems like we still have a lot to see. You ok if we keep going?”

“Yeah.” Sherry hit play again.

~

_“Happy birthday, Sherry. You’re two already! How time flies!” Birkin said again in a familiar fashion. “Who knew things would change so quickly? Anyway, sorry again that I couldn’t make it. I’ve been getting busier and busier, but the good news is that I’ve made a lot of progress in my research and I hope to spend more time with you soon.”_

_Then from a distance, another voice was heard. “William, are you talking to someone? Oh – what’s this?”_

_Birkin looked to the side. Another man in a labcoat walked into the shot. He had neatly kept blonde hair and was wearing sunglasses._

_“Wait, Albert. I’m recording a message for Sherry.”_

_“Is that so?” The other man placed his hand on Birkin’s shoulder. His face was no longer in the shot, but the movements of his fingers gently massaging Birkin were still captured. “I suppose I should give my regards too. Happy birthday, Sherry. You can blame me for keeping your father away.”_

_“Albert, don’t say that!” Birkin turned around and laughed nervously. “Please, give her a proper message. Something nice.”_

_“Something nice?” The other man leaned in, with his face now visible in the view of the camera again. “I’m not sure William, I’m not the one experienced with children between us. What am I supposed to say for a child? Will Sherry even be a child by the time she watches this?”_

_“Oh, you’re making it worse!” Birkin pushed him away and readjusted his coat. “Sorry, Sherry. That’s my good friend, Albert Wesker. He means well. What he means to say is that we both love you very much and we wish we could be here with you instead of stuck at work. I hope you meet him someday.”_

~

“Wesker?! What’s he…” Jake looked away, suddenly sounding more agitated. Sherry paused the video and turned towards him instead.

“I’m so sorry, Jake. I didn’t…”

“No, you didn’t know either.” Jake sighed and let himself fall onto the backrest of the couch. “It’s fine. I already decided to get over my so-called dad and make nothing of our connection. But sheesh. The more you learn. Our dads were friends then, huh?”

“Actually…” Sherry shifted further away from him. “I knew. I knew he and dad were friends. But…”

“Then why didn’t you…no, forget it. It doesn’t matter.” Jake sighed again. “I get it, you were trying to detach yourself from your past too. You probably freaked out when I first mentioned Wesker. It’s fine. I already said I was going to have nothing to do with the guy, so it’s not fair I put all this onto you when you’re the one having to deal with your past again. Argh! I’m an idiot.” Jake growled and slapped himself in the leg. “I’m sorry, Sherry. You should continue.”

“Jake…” She knew it must have been difficult to truly completely forget. Granted, Sherry knew her father much more than Jake had ever known Wesker, but she realized there was always that curiosity and need for closure that one would seek when it came to these matters. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Jake leaned forward and was the one to continue the video this time.

~

_“Your mum and I have been discussing what you might become when you’re older, Sherry. I know it’s still quite soon to decide since you’ve got many years ahead of you, but I was thinking it would be quite nice if you followed in our footsteps and showed an interest in science.” Birkin picked up the camera. “So! While my samples are whirling around in the centrifuge, I thought I’d give you a tour of daddy’s workplace. ” He then turned the camera to show the colourful tubes on his desk. “These are…samples,” he hesitated for a moment, “wonderful samples which perhaps I’ll tell you more about when you’re older.” The camera  panned to another part of the lab. “This is the centrifuge. It’s…kind of like a washing machine.”_

_“William?” It was the voice of a woman. “Is this what you do when you tell me you’re busy?”_

_“Oh, I was just filming my workplace for Sherry to take a look at later!”_

_“I’m not sure if Sherry is interested in that. She’d much rather see her father,” the woman said. The camera then pointed to her face. It was Annette, who looked the same as Sherry could remember when she had last seen her._

_“I know, I know…but while you’re here, do you want to give her a message?”_

_Annette crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “Nothing I haven’t already told her in person. But well, all right. Might as well.” She walked closer, and then the camera turned to a shot of both Birkin and Annette together. “Sherry, we love you dearly. Mum and dad are hard at work but we do it for you.”_

~

_The recording continued to another day. This time Birkin looked a little tenser, at unease. He was known for always looking that way in his later years, but it was a sudden contrast when compared to the earlier footage._

_“Sherry…I hope you understand, everything I do is for you.” His hands were twitching, thumbs fiddling. It looked like he was trying to peel off his nails. “Daddy sometimes finds it difficult to sleep…but when he thinks of you, it makes him feel better again. You’re such a good girl and you have no idea how much you mean to me.”_

_The twitching stopped, and Birkin smiled – a genuine one. “I know I haven’t seen you much. I’m sorry. I’m going to try and complete this project as soon as I can. Then we will have all the time together. Thank you for being here…”_

_Birkin reached out to the camera as if it were Sherry’s face. Although the room was dark, it looked like there was a speckle of blood on Birkin’s sleeves._

~

_“Albert, quick! Bring the camera over here! I need to record this thing right here!”_

_“You think Sherry is going to be amused by this? I know she’s a child but I’m sure even she is too mature for this thing you think is so funny.” That voice sounded like it belonged to Wesker. The camera closed in on Birkin, who was lying on the table. There appeared to be some kind of leech crawling on his face._

_“Come on, it’s funny! Look at this guy on my face!” Birkin looked far too amused at himself. “Ah, it tickles!”_

_“I just hope it’s not infected with something. You do realize what leeches do, right? I’m not sure you are setting the best example for your children.”_

_“It’s all right. It’s…oh, ow, OW!” Before Birkin’s expression could be seen, the camera suddenly turned around and was placed somewhere else, ending up with a shot of some random angle of the lab. The sounds of struggle could still be heard, however._

_“It’s all right, I got it off. See, William? I told you this wasn’t a good idea.”_

~

“ _It’s your birthday tomorrow, and guess what – I can make it this time! But I thought I’d record a message here anyway to make it part of a tradition.”_

_“William, I’m glad you are spending more time for your family but right now I am holding onto this vial that I think might explode any moment if you don’t neutralize it. I’ve kind of got all my hands occupied.”_

_“Oh!” Birkin picked up the camera to point it in Wesker’s direction. “Sherry, you’ve got to see this!”_

_“You want Sherry to watch me get consumed by a dangerous-“ There was a sudden flash of a small explosion within the glass. Smoke came out and Wesker started to cough. There didn’t seem to be any real damage other than that._

_“Wow, that was a great shot! Sherry’s going to find this hilarious!” Birkin then put the camera down to finally help Wesker out, albeit a little too late._

_“Well, William, I am happy if the wastage of these lab materials provides family entertainment for you.”_

_“Oh come on, Albert. When you spend time with family you truly get to understand there’s more to life than work.” Birkin took the glass with the now useless samples and put it aside, and then wiped Wesker’s cheek with his bare hands. “Have you ever considered having your own children, Albert?”_

_“No.” Wesker responded too quickly, emotionless._

_“Typical." Birkin smirked. "To each his own, but I can warn you – children will change you forever.”_

~

The video continued, most of them noting just how many times her father had missed out on her birthday, but gradually it seemed as though he had begun to use the recordings to try and connect with her. Some days he would vent some steam, other days he would share some of the rare funny moments he had. Eventually it played like some kind of diary.

By this time Sherry and Jake had settled down a little, with Sherry picking a more comfortable position with her feet on the couch. Jake came back with a bowl of crisps and some drinks. Sherry hadn’t realized until then that the room had become a little darker. It had been an hour since she first started watching. There were a few more minutes to go.

“Thanks, Jake. You know…if you don’t want to keep watching, you don’t have to. I know I asked you to stay but I didn’t know Wesker would be in the videos as well.”

“I want to see it. Even if I don’t have any connection with my dad…well, now I know what he looks like. And I’ve got to admit, it’s a different picture from what I imagined. When I was told about how he tried to destroy the world, I thought he’d look and act like a total bastard. Yet in here he’s so…” Jake paused for a moment. “So…I don’t know, I’m just surprised he’s capable of acting civilized and…normal?!”

“Yeah…” Sherry helped herself to a drink. “It’s strange seeing my father that way too, after all these years. I’m happy my dad didn’t completely suffer all this time before…” There was that heavy feeling in her chest again.

“Sherry, if I’m the one who’s bothering you then I don’t mind leaving.”

“No, no.” Sherry felt bad to have given Jake that impression. Clearly they were both more concerned for one another than for their own reactions. “It isn’t that. Don’t worry. I’m glad we’re both getting to experience this together. Thanks for the food and drinks as well.”

~

_The last recording of Birkin appeared to have a significant timeskip. He had even stopped recording birthday messages for Sherry, though perhaps that was down to him actually physically being there for a change._

_The room was dark. Birkin’s eyebags were starting to sink down lower on his face, his pupils were constricted in spite of the dim surroundings, and his cheekbones had become more prominent._

_“We’ve wrapped up the T…the project. It is complete. But I had hoped it would lead us somewhere further.” Birkin adjusted his labcoat again – he was always wearing that in all his recordings. “Things are changing quite a bit. Thanks to the findings from my previous project, I’m beginning a new one. This means I will probably be quite busy. It’s going to be trickier now that I am one man short. But it’s very important. I hope you understand, Sherry.”_

_It was surprising that Birkin even mentioned her name considering his tone had taken such a formal shift._

_“William?” Wesker appeared at the scene, now wearing a uniform instead of his old labcoat._

_Birkin exhaled deeply and glanced to the side. Realizing who had walked in, he placed a hand over the camera and pressed a button. However, it didn’t do anything other than adjust the brightness slightly._

_Birkin rose from his seat and walked further away, still in the shot with Wesker._

_“What is it, Wesker?”_

_“I wanted to see how you were doing. I guess you were recording your video diary again?”_

_“Yeah, but I just finished recording what I wanted.” It seemed Birkin thought he had turned the camera off. “So what do you want from me?”_

_“Like I said, I'm only here to check up on you.” Wesker adjusted his sunglasses, though he didn’t take them off his face. “I mean, you’re behaving more…”_

_“More what?!" Birkin practically yelled, demonstrating what Wesker meant. "Let me guess, you think I’m acting more agitated, and it’s worrying you, so you do your usual knight act by pretending you’re concerned for me, and then everything will be better until the cycle repeats again. Is that it?!” Birkin could be seen clutching his hand into a fist, shaking it. It almost looked as if he were going to punch Wesker._

_“Birkin. Take a deep breath, I’m-“_

_“Don’t’ tell me what to do, Albert!” Birkin lunged forward, his labcoat flowing behind him to catch up with his movements. “You’re the one leaving me to myself! You were just waiting for us to complete the T-Virus so you could run away, weren’t you?! We both knew your limits, Albert, but I never knew the truth was that you weren't passionate about our work to begin with!”_

_Wesker didn’t twitch at all, his body still perfectly still. “William, it’s not that. I’ve explained it to you already. I know my place, and I simply don’t want to hold you back by continuing to work in a field where I cannot match your abilities. I’ve accepted I’ll never be as good as you…and I only got this far because of you.”_

_“Oh, now you’re complimenting me to try and get on my good side. Nice try, Albert. But it doesn’t mean fuck all if in the end you’re just going to run!”_

_Wesker sighed. “Please, I wish you didn’t try to analyse every word I say. I want you to understand, but all you’re doing is deflect everything I tell you. Do you really think I intend to slow down your research?”_

_“I-it’s not about that!” Birkin’s stance had loosened up by now, less aggressive and more hopeless. “I just…I thought we were in this together. But you’re leaving me, and it…it hurts realizing you never planned to stay…”_

_There was silence for a moment. Birkin was facing away from Wesker, though Wesker’s gaze remained fixed on him. Eventually, Wesker took off his sunglasses. Then, he spoke._

_“That’s not true, William. No matter where I am, I’ll always be a part of you. We created something special together. Nothing will take that away from us.”_

_Wesker took Birkin’s hand in his. Birkin looked up, his eyes visible again from under tired eyelids._

_“You’re right. I guess I’m acting stupid… I can’t control what you do, you’re not a virus or a test subject after all. You should only put yourself where your passion lies. I’m sorry, Albert.”_

_The two men embraced, wrapping their arms around one another. Birkin held on tightly to the point where it looked like it must have been uncomfortable for Wesker. But Wesker only looked serene, his hand rubbing Birkin on his back, then going up higher, to his neck, and then to the back of his head, but no further._

_It appeared that Wesker had leaned forward to Birkin’s ear – was he whispering something? But they were alone, so what was there that they needed to whisper?_

_Birkin’s eyes were closed, his lips were slightly open, and his head remained leaning on Wesker. It wasn’t possible to see what secrets Wesker was mouthing into his ear as the profile of Birkin’s face covered Wesker’s at the angle that the recording continued to capture the moment in._

_Then the video feedback showed a symbol indicating the battery was about to run out. The symbol flashed, but as it did so, the two men faced each other, still not letting go – in fact, their faces drew ever closer as the screen went black and the playback ended._

~

By this time Sherry had a thin blanket over her, clinging onto a pillow she had found nearby. When she heard the sounds of crunching from Jake against what was now a backdrop of silence, she realized that all this time she hadn’t actually eaten.

The video had finally shown everything it had to offer. Her father must have stopped making additional entries to his diary once he had commenced the G-Virus project. It seemed just like him to do that.

“So…that’s it, huh?” Jake said when he finished eating up. “I had no idea dad was like this. Well, I’ve been proven wrong. That was quite…oh.” He turned around to Sherry. “Sorry.”

Sherry laughed, genuinely not bothered by Jake’s musings. “Don’t worry about it. You had a lot to take in from that as well. It’s all right for you react this way.”

“But what about you, Sherry? This was supposed to be about you and your dad too.”

“Well.” Sherry reached out to finally eat one of the crisps from the bowl. “It’s not as if it has to be one or the other. You saw that our dads spent most of their lives working with one another, and it looked as if they couldn’t be kept apart given how their work tied them together.” Sherry then closed the laptop. The two exchanged another glance, the room now dim without a source of light.

“I suppose this is what my dad was too busy doing rather than making any effort to look after mum.”

Although Jake said it to come across as a joke, it still made Sherry feel guilty that it was her father’s fault Jake had missed out on having a father in his life at all. “I’m sorry on my dad’s behalf.”

“Oh, no. Come on Sherry, you don’t carry your dad’s sins.” Jake shuffled closer to Sherry, even pulling up the blanket up to let him inside slightly. “I used to think because we were connected by blood, I’d inevitably be like my dad. But now I realize that isn’t the case. The same goes for you, Sherry.”

“But…” Sherry felt as if she were trying to hold something back. “It’s been years since I last saw my father and I thought I’d have forgotten about him by now, but still… I can’t completely detach myself from him. I still hold memories of us dearly. And I know there’s always going to be a part of him in me. It’s all right though, I accept that and I think that’s the best way for me to handle it.”

“Yeah. I get it.” Jake then put a hand over Sherry’s arm, with only the blanket in between their touches. “You still have something from your father you want to hold onto. I don’t want to take that away from you if that’s your comfort.”

“Yeah...” She let herself ease in on Jake’s shoulder, a feeling that finally provided comfort again after reliving a painful past. “I suppose I can also say it’s your dad’s fault that my dad didn’t spend much time with me and my mum. “

They both laughed at that. At least, if there was anything, watching their absent fathers’ lives brought them closer together. There were some feelings of love that were rekindled in Sherry when it came to her father. Even if he didn’t do a good job of being there for her in her life, he tried. Jake never had that kind of luxury.

No matter what, perhaps they did inherit one thing from their fathers – their bond and trust for one another.

“Thank you, Jake.”

“Thank you for what?” Jake took another crisp. “For being the bastard kid of your dad’s friend?”

Sherry laughed again. “No, thank you…for being here.”

She unwrapped herself from the blanket, and like their fathers once had, Sherry embraced Jake.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: The idea of this fic was actually supposed to be a much shorter and funnier one, where Sherry and Jake find video diaries of Birkin and in one of them they find Birkin accidentally left the recording on and ended up in an adult tape with Wesker. However when I started writing it, the emotional potential was there and it turned into this instead. Oops!  
> This is the first try at trying to write Sherry/Jake so hope it I wrote them in character.


End file.
